The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) is an educational advocacy group that proposes state and federal regulation towards educator credentials. The group is partnered with local teachers, administrators, and school districts “in understanding and navigating the unique statutes and regulations governing teacher licensure across states.” ¹

Background

The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) was established in 1928 by members of the Department of Superintendents and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). ²

Activity

NASDTEC Educator Identification Clearinghouse

The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) operates the NASDTEC Educator Identification Clearinghouse, a database used to list and track misconduct by teachers and local educators in all 50 U.S. states, Guam, Ontario, and schools operated by the U.S Department of Defense. ³

In February 2016, USA Today published an article on the Clearinghouse and stated it was “missing the names of thousands of educators who have been disciplined by state agencies.” ⁴ According to the report, roughly 9,000 disciplined professors, including those with past charges of sexual misconduct, were not entered into the Clearinghouse. In response, NASDTEC claimed the database was only used to track “teacher disciplinary action.” ^{5 4}

National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics

In June 205, NASDTEC launched the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics (NCAEE), a program intended to advertise its Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE) to assist professors in understanding how “professional decision-making can impact the safety and well-being of children.” ⁶

NASDTEC Interstate Agreement

NASDTEC oversees the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement between itself and both members and state school systems to oversee educators being transferred between member school districts based on “interstate credentials.” The Agreement is between the organization and member districts in U.S. states and Canadian provinces. ⁷

NASDTEC Academy

NASDTEC runs the NASDTEC Academy that provides two programs; “Effectively Engaging with the Media and the Public” and “Prevention and Correction: Overview,” which “emphasizes the environmental, educational and social demands that influence an educator’s daily decisions.” ⁸

NASDTEC Knowledgebase

In 1984, NASDTEC began operating the NASDTEC Knowledgebase, an online database of education certification resources from U.S states. ⁹

Racial Advocacy

In June 2020, after the police-involved death of George Floyd, National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification published an essay entitled, “Abolishing the Discomfort,” which declared the U.S. to be in a state of “racial reckoning.” The author, Troy Hutchings, a senior policy advisor at NASDTEC, asserted that white educators within the U.S “have faltered or stood silent when faced with subtle or even blatant displays of racism.” ¹⁰ Hutchings also called for a professional ethics code for teachers that creates a “fundamental obligation of all educators to acknowledge and deconstruct the barriers to opportunity faced by any student.”  ¹⁰

1. “About Us.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/About.
2. “The History of NASDTEC.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nasdtec.net/resource/resmgr/history_of_nasdtec/nasdtec_history_2022-11.pdf.
3. “ED ID Clearinghouse.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/ASSOC_CH_REG.
4. “NASDTEC Response to USA Today Reports.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/USA_Today_Response.
5. Reiley, Steve. “States look to mend gaps in teacher screening systems.” USA Today. February 18, 2016. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/18/states-look-mend-gaps-teacher-screening-systems/80543840/.
6. “About NCAEE.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/mpage/microsite_subpage1_YMBLD.
7. “Interstate Agreement.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/Interstate.
8. “NASDTEC ACADEMY.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/NASDTEC_Academy.
9. “NASDTEC Knowledgebase.” NASDTEC. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/page/KnowledgeBAse_Intro.
10. Hutchins, Tony. “Abolishing the Discomfort.” NASDTEC. June 15, 2020. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nasdtec.net/blogpost/1757877/350545/Abolishing-the-Discomfort.